How To Love Your Body

I'm pleased to share my article in this month's issue of Masters Of Health Magazine, an online magazine dedicated to health and wellness.

Many of us yearn to have a different body, while ignoring the one we have. Social media is filled with photos of people on fad diets, starving themselves, or going to extreme measures, desperate to change their weight and appearance.

All too often, we hold ourselves up to an ideal of physical perfection and find fault with ourselves when we inevitably fail to meet their goals. This is true of men as well as women. 

As one of my male patients once said, “It is just as hard to be Ken as it is to be Barbie.”

To create a more peaceful and realistic way of relating to ourselves, we must challenge the notion that there is only one good way to have a body, so that we can cherish, as well as nurture, the bodies we have.

Love Tip #1: Appreciate Yourself

Many people, when they think of their “self” only think of their image in the mirror. Yet, we are so much more than our size and appearance.

One woman described herself as the “queen of self care” and didn’t understand why she still felt bad about herself. When I asked exactly how she took care of herself, she told me she regularly got manicures and pedicures, facials and massages.

I told her that was grooming, not self-care. Her challenge was realizing that there was much more to her – and to all of us - than meets the eye.

Always keep in mind that you have a body, but you also have a mind. There are intellectual parts, emotional, relational, creative, spiritual parts of yourself, and a whole range of other qualities that make you the person you are.

Make it a point to identify, embrace and nurture all parts of yourself, because they all need your appreciation. When you feel good about your whole self, you won’t be as focused on your weight as a way to define yourself.

Click HERE to read Love Tips #2 and #3:  http://bit.ly/2suIp65

To cherish the body you have, define yourself by your basic values and unique characteristics, instead of by your appearance. Tune in to your physical needs by avoiding restrictive diets and cultivating a more intuitive approach to your food choices. And, accept your emotions and attend to them, instead of ignoring them.

This is the key to true transformation and inner peace.